BLOOD CYST OF THE PULMONARY VALVE IN AN ADULT - REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report a case of a blood cyst originating from the pulmonary valve cusp of a 43-year-old Japanese woman with pulmonary stenosis. Cineangi ography revealed a pedunculated tumor on the arterial surface of the p ulmonary valve. It was successfully removed by a transpulmonary artery approach. The cyst contained old blood and calcified thrombi, and its wall consisted of collagenous fibrous tissue. Immunohistochemically, a monolayer of flat cells lining the cyst was confirmed as endothelium using antibodies to von Willebrand factor and CD34, as well as UEA-I lectin. To the best of our knowledge, blood cysts of the pulmonary val ve are rare and only 10 such cases have been reported, including six p ediatric cases. This case is the oldest and fifth adult patient with a blood cyst found on the pulmonary valve. A possible histogenesis is d iscussed. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.